Five Avs on XM/NHL All-Star Fan Ballot

NEW YORK (November 6, 2007) -- A League-high six players from the defending Eastern Conference champion and 2007-08 top-ranked Ottawa Senators have been named to the ballot in XM/NHL All-Star Fan Balloting, Presented by 2K Sports, which opens Nov. 13.

The Senators, off to the League's best start with a 12-1-0 record, are represented by forwards Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson, the League's top-scoring trio in both the regular season and Stanley Cup playoffs in 2006-07; defensemen Chris Phillips and Wade Redden, teammates on the Senators blueline since 1997-98; and goaltender Ray Emery, who is making his first appearance on the All-Star ballot after backstopping the Senators to the Stanley Cup Final last season.

For the second consecutive season, the NHL-All Star Fan Balloting process will be entirely digital. From Nov. 13 through Jan. 2, fans around the world can “Vote Now, Vote Often” online at NHL.com to select the starting lineups for the 2008 NHL All-Star Game in Atlanta. In addition, U.S. fans also can cast votes through Verizon Wireless cell phones.

The 2007-08 season marks the 20th year in which fans will determine the starting lineups for the NHL All-Star Game. Fans can vote for six Eastern Conference All-Stars and six Western Conference All-Stars: three forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender for each team. If a player is not listed on the ballot, a space is provided for “write-in” votes. The three forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender from each Conference receiving the most votes will comprise the starting lineups. Each of the 30 NHL clubs has at least two representatives on the ballot.

XM, which airs every NHL game for every team as the exclusive satellite radio network of the NHL, is the Title Sponsor and 2K Sports, a leading publisher of current and next generation sports video games including NHL® 2K8 featuring Ottawa Senators center Jason Spezza, returns as the Presenting Sponsor.

The XM/NHL All-Star Fan Balloting, Presented by 2K Sports section on NHL.com will feature an interactive ballot, showcasing players with video clips, photos and virtual video game highlights created from in-game NHL® 2K8 footage. Residents of the United States and Canada who vote will be able to register for a chance to win a variety of daily prizes, including XM XpressRC radios with three months of free service, 2K Sports games, autographed 2008 NHL All-Star jerseys and shop.NHL.com gift certificates. One grand prize winner will receive a trip for two to attend the 2008 NHL All-Star Game in a private suite joined by former NHL players, courtesy of XM.

The 2008 NHL All-Star Weekend in Atlanta will feature live national broadcasts of the Dodge/NHL SuperSkills event on Saturday, Jan. 26 and the NHL All-Star Game on Sunday, Jan. 27 on VERSUS in the United States and CBC and RDS in Canada. NASN and other international broadcasters will provide live coverage of both the Dodge/NHL SuperSkills event and the NHL All-Star Game to more than 115 countries and territories in Europe. NHL RADIO on Westwood One will provide exclusive, national radio coverage which can be heard on stations around the United States and Canada as well as on XM Satellite Radio's NHL Home Ice and NHL.com.